What's your favorite Buddha's quote?

[dragonwarrior]

What's your favorite Buddha's quote? [Share here]

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Winny,

Rather than a "quote" per se, here is my favourite sutta... it's a small one.

SN 56.31 - Simsapa Sutta
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html

Metta,
Retro.

[Jechbi]

His last words.

Vayadhamma sankhara, appamadena sampadetha’ti.

Lots of translations out there.

[Element]

"'He has been stilled where the currents of construing do not flow. And when the currents of construing do not flow, he is said to be a sage at peace.' Thus was it said. With reference to what was it said? 'I am' is a construing. 'I am this' is a construing. 'I shall be' is a construing. 'I shall not be'... 'I shall be possessed of form'... 'I shall not be possessed of form'... 'I shall be percipient'... 'I shall not be percipient'... 'I shall be neither percipient nor non-percipient' is a construing. Construing is a disease, construing is a cancer, construing is an arrow. By going beyond all construing, he is said to be a sage at peace.

"Furthermore, a sage at peace is not born, does not age, does not die, is unagitated and is free from longing. He has nothing whereby he would be born. Not being born, will he age? Not aging, will he die? Not dying, will he be agitated? Not being agitated, for what will he long? It was in reference to this that it was said, 'He has been stilled where the currents of construing do not flow. And when the currents of construing do not flow, he is said to be a sage at peace.'

MN 140

[bodom]

"Then, Bahiya, you should train yourself thus: In reference to the seen, there will be only the seen. In reference to the heard, only the heard. In reference to the sensed, only the sensed. In reference to the cognized, only the cognized. That is how you should train yourself. When for you there will be only the seen in reference to the seen, only the heard in reference to the heard, only the sensed in reference to the sensed, only the cognized in reference to the cognized, then, Bahiya, there is no you in terms of that. When there is no you in terms of that, there is no you there. When there is no you there, you are neither here nor yonder nor between the two. This, just this, is the end of stress."

Ud 1.10

Let one not trace back the past
Or yearn for the future-yet-to-come.
That which is past is left behind
Unattained is the "yet-to-come."
But that which is present he discerns —
With insight as and when it comes.
The Immovable — the-non-irritable.
In that state should the wise one grow
Today itself should one bestir
Tomorrow death may come — who knows?
For no bargain can we strike
With Death who has his mighty hosts.
But one who dwells thus ardently
By day, by night, untiringly
Him the Tranquil Sage has called
The Ideal Lover of Solitude.

MN 131

There are these roots of trees, these rooms that are void: meditate, bhikkhus, do not delay lest you regret it later. This is our instruction to you."

MN 8; MN 152

[clw_uk]

"Both formerly and now, monks, I declare only stress and the cessation of stress. 14 And if others insult, abuse, taunt, bother, & harass the Tathagata for that, he feels no hatred, no resentment, no dissatisfaction of heart because of that. And if others honor, respect, revere, & venerate the Tathagata for that, he feels no joy, no happiness, no elation of heart because of that. And if others honor, respect, revere, & venerate the Tathagata for that, he thinks, 'They do me such service at this that has already been comprehended.' 15

"Therefore, monks, if others insult, abuse, taunt, bother, & harass you as well, you should feel no hatred, no resentment, no dissatisfaction of heart because of that. And if others honor, respect, revere, & venerate you as well, you should feel no joy, no gladness, no elation of heart because of that. And if others honor, respect, revere, & venerate you, you should think, 'They do us 16 such service at this that has already been comprehended.'

"Therefore, monks, whatever isn't yours: Let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term welfare & happiness. And what isn't yours? Form (body) isn't yours: Let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term welfare & happiness. Feeling isn't yours... Perception... Thought fabrications... Consciousness isn't yours: Let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term welfare & happiness.

"What do you think, monks: If a person were to gather or burn or do as he likes with the grass, twigs, branches & leaves here in Jeta's Grove, would the thought occur to you, 'It's us that this person is gathering, burning, or doing with as he likes'?"

"No, lord. Why is that? Because those things are not our self, nor do they belong to our self."

"Even so, monks, whatever isn't yours: Let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term welfare & happiness. And what isn't yours? Form isn't yours... Feeling isn't yours... Perception... Thought fabrications... Consciousness isn't yours: Let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term welfare & happiness.]

[David N. Snyder]

“Do not believe in something because it is reported. Do not believe in something because it has been practiced by generations or becomes a tradition or part of a culture. Do not believe in something because a scripture says it is so. Do not believe in something believing a god has inspired it. Do not believe in something a teacher tells you to. Do not believe in something because the authorities say it is so. Do not believe in hearsay, rumor, speculative opinion, public opinion, or mere acceptance to logic and inference alone. Help yourself, accept as completely true only that which you test for yourself and know to be good for yourself and others.”

Kalama Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya 3.65

(paraphrased, not the actual word-by-word quote, but meaning is the same)

Full text:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html (Thanissaro)

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .soma.html (Soma)

On another note, the exact translations of the above and Pali Text Society include "not to go by specious reasoning or logic . . ." which simply means not to go by logic or inference alone. It does not mean that logic is not used in examining the Buddha's teachings, just not by superficial logic or logic alone.

[Prasadachitta]

Dhammapada

Pairs
Verse one and two

"Experiences are preceded by psyche, led by psyche, and produced by psyche. If one speaks or acts with an impure psyche, suffering follows even as the cart-wheel follows the hoof of the ox."

"Experiences are preceded by psyche, led by psyche, and produced by psyche. If one speaks or acts with a pure psyche, happiness follows like a shadow that never departs."


Metta

Gabriel

[genkaku]

"It is not what others do and do not do that is my concern. It is what I do and do not do -- that is my concern."

[retrofuturist]

Cool Gabriel... that's my 2nd favourite.

Metta,
Retro.

[Individual]

What's your favorite Buddha's quote? [Share here]

It's very hard to say. I haven't read enough suttas to really have much to choose from too. But I honestly can say that no word of the Buddha was more well-spoken than his first words after his enlightenment and his last words before death.

His first words, upon attaining enlightenment, the Buddha's "Song of Victory" from the Dhammapada:

O house-builder, you are seen! You will not build this house again. For your rafters are broken and your ridgepole shattered. My mind has reached the Unconditioned; I have attained the destruction of craving.

And his last words, before attaining parinibbana, in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta:

Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!

With that said, the Buddha also had a good sense of humor and I was also a bit amused when he said to Ananda in the Maha-Parinibbana sutta (paraphrase), "If you had asked me to live on for another 20 years, the first two times I might have said no, but the third time you asked, I would have said yes."

Although it can be a bit obscured by the repetitive and simple style of Indian literature, Gautama had a great wit and sense of humor, even on matters as serious as his own death.

[kowtaaia]

Staying at Savatthi. "Monks, suppose there were four strong archers — well-trained, practiced, & drilled — standing in the four directions, and a man were to come along saying, 'I will catch & bring down the arrows let fly by these four strong archers — well-trained, practiced, & drilled — before they have fallen to the ground.' What do you think? Would that be enough to call him a swift man, endowed with the foremost speed?"

"Even if he were to catch & bring down the arrows let fly by one archer — well-trained, practiced, & drilled — before they fell to the ground, lord, that would be enough to call him a swift man, endowed with the foremost speed, to say nothing of four such archers."

"Faster than the speed of that man, monks, is the speed of the sun & moon. Faster than the speed of that man, faster than the speed of the sun & moon, is the speed of the devas who rush ahead of the sun & moon. Faster than the speed of that man, faster than the speed of the sun & moon, faster than the speed of the devas who rush ahead of the sun & moon, the force of one's life span comes to an end. Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will live heedfully.' That's how you should train yourselves."

Dhanuggaha Sutta
The Archer

[Individual]

Staying at Savatthi. "Monks, suppose there were four strong archers — well-trained, practiced, & drilled — standing in the four directions, and a man were to come along saying, 'I will catch & bring down the arrows let fly by these four strong archers — well-trained, practiced, & drilled — before they have fallen to the ground.' What do you think? Would that be enough to call him a swift man, endowed with the foremost speed?"

"Even if he were to catch & bring down the arrows let fly by one archer — well-trained, practiced, & drilled — before they fell to the ground, lord, that would be enough to call him a swift man, endowed with the foremost speed, to say nothing of four such archers."

"Faster than the speed of that man, monks, is the speed of the sun & moon. Faster than the speed of that man, faster than the speed of the sun & moon, is the speed of the devas who rush ahead of the sun & moon. Faster than the speed of that man, faster than the speed of the sun & moon, faster than the speed of the devas who rush ahead of the sun & moon, the force of one's life span comes to an end. Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will live heedfully.' That's how you should train yourselves."

Dhanuggaha Sutta
The Archer

I wish I could move that quickly.

[teacup_bo]

Staying at Savatthi. "Monks, suppose there were four strong archers — well-trained, practiced, & drilled — standing in the four directions, and a man were to come along saying, 'I will catch & bring down the arrows let fly by these four strong archers — well-trained, practiced, & drilled — before they have fallen to the ground.' What do you think? Would that be enough to call him a swift man, endowed with the foremost speed?"

"Even if he were to catch & bring down the arrows let fly by one archer — well-trained, practiced, & drilled — before they fell to the ground, lord, that would be enough to call him a swift man, endowed with the foremost speed, to say nothing of four such archers."

"Faster than the speed of that man, monks, is the speed of the sun & moon. Faster than the speed of that man, faster than the speed of the sun & moon, is the speed of the devas who rush ahead of the sun & moon. Faster than the speed of that man, faster than the speed of the sun & moon, faster than the speed of the devas who rush ahead of the sun & moon, the force of one's life span comes to an end. Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will live heedfully.' That's how you should train yourselves."

Dhanuggaha Sutta
The Archer

Thankyou

[piotr]

Hi,

I like two short suttas from The Fives of Aṅguttara-nikāya about benefits of walking (sounds like protojogging to me ) and eating porridge.

[Dhammanando]

Hi Piotr,

I like two short suttas from The Fives of Aṅguttara-nikāya about benefits of walking (sounds like protojogging to me ) and eating porridge.

When you've finished your porridge, don't forget the Dantakaṭṭha Sutta's teaching on the five dangers of not using a toothbrush (AN. iii. 250).

Best wishes,
Dhammanando Bhikkhu

[piotr]

[Annapurna]

Always what I read at the moment.

82

Like a deep lake,
clear, unruffled, & calm:
so the wise become clear,
calm,
on hearing words of the Dhamma.

[puthujjana]

"But when I am traveling along a road and see no one in front or behind me, at that time I have my ease, even when urinating & defecating."

- AN 6.42

[Danny]

Dhammapada VIII.

103. Though one may conquer a thousand times a thousand men in battle, yet he indeed is the noblest victor who conquers himself.


I still got alot of reading to do, but this is one of my favorites so far and up to now.